Display-rack.



H. E. PELDMAN.

DISPLAY RACK.

APPLICATION FILED 001'. 11', 1909.

' Patented July 5, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEI T 1.

H. E. FELDMAN.

DISPLAY BACK.

APPLIUATION FILED OCT. 11, 1909.

Patented July 5,1910.

. 2 SHEETS-SHEBT 2.

0 M .o 4o 0 1 6 j 0 w M I o UNITED STATES PATENT UFFIGE.

HARRY E. FELDMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIG-NOR T0 JENNIE VAUGHN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DISPLAY-RACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 11, 1909.

Patented July 5, 1910.

Serial No. 522,159.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY E. FELDMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Display-Racks, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying draw: ings.

This invention relates to improvements in display-racks that are primarily designed for use in connection with the showing of clothing samples and the like.

It has for its leading object to so construct such a device that it will be light in weight, attractive in appearance, and of a character that will permit of its being readily and easily taken apart for storage or transportation purposes, and also, when the parts are assembled for use, can be adjusted to diflerent heights and positions and made of a suitable size to accommodate the quantity of goods to be displayed. I accomplish this object by the parts and combinations of parts shown in the drawings and hereinafter specifically described.

That which I believe to be new will be pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings,Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved device in position for use; Fig. 2 is a detail, being a perspective view of one end of the brace-bar that extends beneath and supports the goods-supporting member; Fig. 2 is a detail, being a perspective View of the upper end of one of the standards; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the extensible goods-supporting member of the device, and showing also the means for securing such member to the standards; Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail, partly in section, showing the manner of detachably and adjustably securing the extensible goods-supportand 11 indicate two similar standards. The member 10 of each standard is, as shown, of tubular construction and adjustable up and down telescopically within the other member 11, the two parts being locked together, when properly adjusted, by a set-screw 12.

13 indicates the goods-supporting section of the device, which is formed of a series of levers pivoted one to another at their ends and centers on the well-known lazy-tongs principle. The ends of these goods-supporting sections are formed of rigid end-bars 14 to which the expansible lazy-tongs device is connected through short links 15 pivotally connected to said end-bars and the ends of the end levers of the lazy-tongs device. Secured centrally to each end-bar 14 is a head 16 that lies opposite the outer edge of said end-bar and has its outer face corrugated or roughened to adapt it to serve as one member of a clamp.

17 indicates a correspondingly-shaped head, also corrugated or roughened on one face, and which in cooperation with one of the heads 16 constitutes a clamp, the two parts 16-17 of each clamp being held together by a nut 18 screwed onto a screwthreaded stud projecting centrally from the outer face of the head 16 and passing freely through an unthreaded opening in the other head 17. Each head or clamp-member 17 has formed with it, and brazed or otherwise secured to it, a stem 19, on which is formed, a short distance below the said head 17, a suitable flange 20, below which is a continuation of the stem, said continuation, in the construction shown, (see Fig. 4), being in the form of wings. Each member comprising a head 17, stem 19 and flange 20 constitutes a device through which the goods-supporting member 13 is connected at each end with one of the standards. The stem referred to is placed in the open upper end of the tubular standard-member 10, the flange 2O resting upon and closing the top of the serving to likewise secure one of the heads 16 in place by passing through a horizontal plate-portion formed with the head and lying on top of the bar. That portion of each bracket that projects from the inner edge of the bar is made in the form of a narrow box-like structure comprising two side walls, a bottom and a front wall, the front wall, however, being less in height than the side walls. This construction is best shown in Fig. 4E.

23 indicates a brace-bar formed of two similar pieces, and preferably of metal. The pieces or sections constituting this brace-bar lie side by side and are movably connected one to the other by clips Eat, a clip being secured, in the construction shown, by rivets (see Fig. 6) to the inner end of each piece or section. This construction, of course, enables the bar to be extended or shortened as required. A short distance from the outer end of each piece or section of the brace-bar, and in the lower edge thereof, is formed a notch 25 (see Figs. 2 and 1) of a size to receive the short front wall of one of the hereinbefore described brackets 21 when the end of the brace-bar is inserted into the box-like portion of said bracket. By reason of this engagement between the said front wall of the bracket and the brace-bar, said brace-bar can be extended or contracted with the extension or contraction of the lazy-tongs goods-supporting member 13 without liability of becoming detached. By reason of the ends of the bar fitting reasonably snug between the side walls of the box-like portion of the bracket, the bar is held against turning or any lateral movement. This brace-bar is a very important feature of the invention, as it contributes largely to the satisfactory working of the device in that it at all times furnishes a stiff support to the jointed goods-supporting member 13 beneath which it extends. This goods-supporting member is ordinarily composed of comparatively thin and more or less flexible strips of wood or thin pieces of metal, and without such a support as is furnished by this bracebar they will yield or sag under the weight of goods placed upon them, tending not only to impair the sightliness of the structure as a whole, but also, in some instances, as, for example, when articles of clothing are being displayed, causing such articles to wrinkle and become somewhat misshapen and hence not be displayed to the best advantage.

It will be understood that by loosening the set-nuts 18-18 suiliciently to permit the clamping members 16 and 17 to separate slightly the goods-supporting member 13 with the brace-bar 23 can be rotated to allow it to stand at any desired angle, as may be deemed best to display goods, and then looked in that position by again tightening up said nuts 18. Also, whenever desired,

the entire member 13 together with the brace-bar 23 and both clamps can be bodily lifted out of connection with the standardmembers 101O by simply taking hold of the end-bars 14: and giving a pull upward thereon suflicient to withdraw the stems that depend from the heads 17 out of said standard-members 1010. The brace-bar can be disengaged at any time from its sustaining brackets by lifting it sufliciently at its ends to disengage its notches 25 from the short front walls of the brackets, the bars of the lazy-tongs device readily yielding sufficiently for this purpose-just as they will be found to so yield to allow of the insertion of the brace-bar in the brackets. One important advantage of having-no projecting part on the ends of the standard-members when the goods-supporting section 13 is re moved is that it leaves two independent standards which may temporarily be utilized for receiving and holding some other form of supporting device if desired.

In Fig. 7 I have shown how instead of using the two standards separately, as just suggested, I make use of them connected together by means of the two-part brace-bar 23 but with the extensible goods-supporting member 13 omitted. I am able to thus connect them by reason of the fact that the notches 25 near each end of the brace-bar engage the walls of the standard-members 10, such walls themselves each being notched, as at-26 (see Fig. 2*) so as to permit the upper edge of the brace-bar to come flush with the tops of the standarchmembers 10. This forms a strong, detachable interlocking of the brace-bars with these standardmembers and affords a good means for holding and displaying certain articles. As illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 3, coathangers, for example, may be suspended from the bar.

To the lower end of each standard-member 11 are pivotally secured legs 27, said legs having short extensions 28 above the pivots, which extensions are clamped against the member 11 by a movable ring or band 29. This construction forms the subjectmatter of a separate application.

That which I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,-

1. In a display-rack, the combination with two oppositely-located standards, and a goods-supporting member comprising a series of levers pivotally connected together, of an extensible brace-bar supported beneath said goods-supporting member, and means for connecting said goods-supporting member with said standards.

2. In a display-rack, the combination with two oppositely-located standards and a goods-supporting member comprising a ser1es of levers pivotally connected together, of an extenslble brace-bar removably supported beneath said goods-supporting memer, and means for connecting said goodssupporting member with said standards.

3. In a display-rack, the combination with two oppositely-located standards and a goods-supporting member comprising a series of levers pivotally connected together and end-bars pivotally connected with said levers, of an extensible brace-bar located beneath said goods-supporting member, means for connecting said brace-bar with said endbars, and means for connecting said goodssupporting member with said standards.

at. In a display-rack, the combination With two oppositely-located standards and a goodssupporting member comprising a series of levers pivotally connected together and end-bars pivotally connected with said levers, of brackets secured to said end-bars, an extensible brace-bar located beneath said goods-supporting member, means for connecting the ends of said brace-bar with said brackets, and means for connecting said goods-supporting member with said standards.

5. In a display-rack, the combination with two oppositely-located standards and a goods-supporting member comprising a series of levers pivotally connected together and end-bars pivotally connected with said levers, of brackets secured to said end-bars, each bracket comprising a narrow box-like portion having side walls and a front wall, and an extensible brace-bar located beneath said goods-supporting member and having its ends retained between the side walls of the box-like portion of the bracket and having a notch in its under edge into which said front wall projects, and means for connecting said goods-supporting member with said standards.

6. In a display-rack, the combination with two oppositely-located standards and a goods -supporting member comprising a series of levers pivotally connected together and end-bars pivotally connected with said levers, of brackets secured to said end-bars, an extensible brace-bar supported by said brackets and extending beneath said goodssupporting member, and means also attached to said end-bars for connecting said goods-supporting member with said standards and also adapted to permit said goodssupporting member to be rotatably adjusted.

HARRY E. FELDMAN.

WVitnesses:

ALBERT H. ADAMS, WV. H. DE BUsK. 

